FDA Expected To Act
(Sacramento, CA) — California Governor Gavin Newsom is urging the federal government to ban menthol-flavored cigarettes. The move comes ahead of an expected announcement from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that it intends to restrict the sale of menthol-flavored cigarettes. In a statement, Newsom said that banning the product would help protect public health and racial equity. He stated that tobacco companies have profited from the marketing of minty menthol cigarettes to Black communities.
The F-D-A is preparing to ban menthol cigarettes. Public health groups have been calling for the ban since the FDA began regulating tobacco more than a decade ago. The agency faces a deadline of tomorrow to respond to a petition by anti-tobacco groups who requested the ban. Still, it will likely take more than a year to implement it. Democratic lawmakers in several major cities say menthol cigarettes target African Americans and it has led to millions of tobacco-related deaths.